Assassins
by Tempest the 1rst
Summary: For thousands of years, the three kingdoms have kept task forces of elite master warriors, healers, and assassins: the strikers. Kagamine Len, Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin, and Shion Kaito have been trained by these strikers since they could move: trained to be the perfect weapons. However, one day, they find themselves without masters, knowing only to meet at a certain inn...
1. Chapter 1

**Assassins: chapter one**

 **Okay, here's the new story, as promised. It might be confusing at first, I'm going to try to develop the background as I go along. Based on a book called King's Dark Tidings. The main characters are taking the same lessons at the same times, I just only want to show one example of a lesson from every year so we can get to the main story faster. Enjoy! (sadly, I don't own vocaloid)**

 _Epilogue:_

 _A lone rider walked on a moonlit road, fearfully eyeing his destination: a fortress manned by what he knew were warriors each capable of killing him and a dozen other people like him in their sleep, and easily, at that. And, as a first tier rank one warrior, that was saying something. The man surveyed his surroundings nervously, wondering if they were watching him. Then he barked out a laugh. If they wanted to kill him, he wouldn't know until he met the Maker. If he met the Maker. After what he had done, he would be surprised if he did._

 _At that thought, he carefully lifted the two bundles he held in his arms: the heirs to the golden kingdom. kidnapping them had been no easy task, but he knew that the strikers would have found it almost laughably easy._

 _Arriving at the gates, he knocked out the code softly, though he knew that the strikers were already aware of who and where he was. The door opened, revealing a courtyard of sixty strikers and eight training masters, along with two others like himself, carrying the heirs to the emerald and sapphire kingdoms._

 _ **At the first fortress...**_

A scream rang out from the courtyard, suddenly cut off.

Kagamine Len, age 6, was collapsed next to the wall, a hand over his mouth. The instructor, Jeibak, stood over him, giving him a disapproving stare. Len, feeling ashamed, still could not stand, mainly because that one arm and one leg had his bones protruding from the skin, and there was a puddle of blood growing under him.

His mind was fogged by the pain, but he still evaluated what he had done wrong: he had created an opening for an instant, allowing Jeibak to strike his leg. He had broken _Rule 7: Ignore Pain,_ Rule 8: _Never show weakness,_ and Rule 157: _Do not get injured._ Had this been real instead of practice infiltration, he would have broken Rule 15: _do not get caught._ He had almost vomited, which would break Rule 17: _Do not leave evidence._

Satisfied, he gave a clear and detailed answer when Jeibak demanded for him to describe his mistakes. The master nodded, then consulted with Peircen about whether they should heal the bone of let him learn to fight while injured. "It could end up crippling him if I don't heal him." Piercen said, and their debate turned to whether they should have him set the bone himself. Len listened to the argument, and deemed it inefficient. By the time that Piercen finally convince Jeibak that they should set the arm, Len had gritted his teeth and set his own bones.

(A/N for those of you who don't know, setting the bone can be more painful than breaking it in the first place, especially with complex fractures like Len's where the bone stabs through the skin. BTW, this story will mostly be centered around Len or Miku.)

Peircen healed him, and, once the green blow subsided, Len returned to sparring.

 _ **At the second fortress and one year later...**_

Miku, age seven, stood before two prisoners, one kneeling and one chained to the fortress walls. She held her favorite dagger, a stilleto, as her teacher spoke. "This man is guilty of murder and theft," said Gamar, indicating the kneeling one, "use method 46 of assassination." Miku nodded, and held the stilleto to a spot on the man's throat. He was crying and begging, like all the other prisoners had, and the man chained to the wall stared with wide eyes. The instructor nodded, saying "Yes, right there." and Miku stabbed it in. She knew it was perfect from the almost complete lack of blood, the almost invisible cut, and the instant death of the man.

Then she turned to the chained one, and the instructor simply said "Torture him." Miku nodded, and the man's screams echoed off the fortress walls...

 ** _The first fortress, a few years later... (A/N because I pay too much attention to Len)_**

Len stood in the center of a circle of men, all of them armed to the teeth. These were mostly deserted soldiers who the masters had decided were well trained enough to provide Len with a challenge. The 60 men had been told that their crimes would be forgiven if the killed the twelve year old boy, and they were all desperate to complete the task, thinking that it would be relatively easy to kill a child.

Len knew that they would lose; they had broken two rules already: _Separate yourself from your emotions_ and _Do not underestimate your opponents._ When the strikers called "START!" Len seemed to flicker in and out of sight, dashing through the soldiers and leaving nothing but blood, gore, and corpses in his wake. He heard the _snick_ of a crossbow firing, and he flipped, grabbed the bolt, and sent it back to the shooter; right through his throat. Within seconds, the spinning, flipping, sprinting boy finished off all sixty soldiers by taking the spear of the last man, snapping the tip off and stabbing the man through the eye.

He hadn't even drawn the katana at his waist; all he had used were his bare hands and the enemy's weapons.

Unbeknownst to him, the strikers watching the fight smiled.

 ** _The third fortress, same time_**...

Rin held her favored blade, the khopesh, hooking the blades of the enemies and snapping them. She was able to easily kill most of the bandits, and she considered those insignificant. Rin wanted a challenge.

She saw five bandits with shields, and decided that she would take out her frustrations on them. Without using any of the techniques that she had been taught, she simply used the khopesh like and axe and rapidly smashed through the shields, then through the bandits' skulls. She decided that she would have to ask the masters for more challenging opponents than 60 bandits. Maybe trained soldiers would be harder to kill...

Rin pondered this as she cut off the leader's head to bring to the masters.

 **Okay! I took like one hour to type this thing, so please point out any typos so I can fix them, thank you. Remember to review, or I'll get lonely (lol)**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

 **Welp. I'm back…. been a while… sorry (I blame high school). Pretty tired, not sure when this will be done (still blame high school). I'm starting this on December 10** **th** **. Okay reviews. Review.**

 **xXHana-chiXx: Thanks for reviewing. I honestly wasn't sure whether I wanted to continue this story (cuz I don't post a new chapter until I get a review on the last one) and kind of left the website for a year. Then I was sitting around (procrastinating homework) and decided "I know, I'll go check out my fanfiction account." So I saw your review, and started this chapter. Thank you for your encouragement and advice.**

 **Okay, so before I start the story. Just going to say, I never proofread my stories. I just write it in like an hour and post it. So, if I do start going over it again then it'll take some more time. Please tell me in the reviews if I should start editing, thank you. Also, since it's been a year, I might start off rusty, so sorry in advance. Now then, onto the story…**

 **The fourth fortress:**

Two hooded figures were arguing in the dead of the night. The subject of this argument was simple: the weapon that they had been charged to create was behind on schedule. It would only be capable of killing twenty elite warriors by itself; the sapphire-haired creature, while easily capable of reading a man's thoughts from his voice alone, was not as capable a killing machine as he should be. The other three were able to easily eliminate an army of around a hundred within an hour under the right circumstances, two hundred if they were not the best of their countries. The others also had the same ability towards reading people, and the cloaked men argued over their next course of action.

"It must pass its final test in a year. Otherwise, we will be _replaced_ by masters thought more capable. We need to heighten our standards. Train it harder, and we may still make it."

"That is not possible. If we push him any harder that we already are, he will die. He is a thirteen year old boy capable of ending twenty of his kingdom's elite. They will have to be satisfied."

" _It_ does not meet the standards set by Them. They will not accept anything less: the golden one is exceeding expectations. They have had to make an extension so that it is not ready too early. Our weapon meanwhile, needs several years before it is finished, and we only have one before it reaches fourteen years of age. You know the rules: the weapons must be complete by the time they reach manhood."

The two men continued arguing into the night, unaware that, from a tiny room with only a bed and a trunk listened a boy. A boy with eyes and hair of deep, deep blue.

 _ **One year later, in the first fortress…**_

Len stood in the center of a circle of all the three hundred strikers in the fortress with his twin training katanas strapped to his back, his two daggers below them, wearing a hooded cloak that had strips instead of a back, with blades at their ends (search up "talon" if you want to know what it looks like. It's the blue one. And before you ask, yes, I have no life). Not to mention the many weapons he had hidden on his person. He was a walking armory, really. He was waiting for Peircen to arrive. He had mastered all the rules and skills in his fourteen years of life, as well as many magic abilities that the masters had taught him. His gift of magic was rare: he wielded raw magic power, able to be shaped towards anything he wished.

Len watched as Peircen walked into the courtyard, opening his mouth to speak, "Len. You have mastered all the rules and skills known to humanity. You have learned things of which most of the world knows not. You have learned to be a perfect weapon. After you complete the last order sent to you, I will tell you the last two rules, rules that take precedence before all others. Rules that determine what your abilities will be used for." Piercen paused, looking for all the world as if he was trying to swallow a rodent. Then he gave Len's last order: "Kill the strikers."

 _ **The same time, in the second fortress…**_

Miku stood before all the strikers within the fortress, ready to enter the outworld. Dressed in a tunic and trousers, she was armed with her khopesh, a shield, and several smaller, hidden weapons. All training weapons, but, while not the best weapons in the armory, they were still capable of being lethal. Honestly, though, Miku knew that she could easily kill several people unarmed, and then she could take their weapons. She stifled a laugh. She could eliminate almost ten well trained veteran soldiers if she just had a chair. She only had to learn Rule 1 and Rule 2 before she would begin her journey beyond the walls. Gamar stood before her and began to speak:

"You have been trained as a perfect assassin. A hunter. One who brings death, whether it be from the shadows or in broad daylight. You have learned everything we have to teach you, except for two sentences. Two scraps of knowledge, reserved for this very day. You have overcome trials given to you from birth that many grown men would deem impossible. And you are unique. For though there are three others like you, we alone have disobeyed Them. We alone have taught you how to feel emotions. How to love. However, we knew that emotions must be controlled. So we taught you to value our orders before your feelings, to think of them as secondary to logic. Now, I am giving you one last order. Everyone standing before you is a liability, a way for Them to find you," He paused, giving a grim laugh.

"All of the fortresses have received orders to end their respective weapons, as a change in leadership has resulted in people who fear your skills. And so, before I tell you the last two rules, I must give you one last trial. All of us have agreed that we, as your trainers, will try to increase your skills one last time. They have told us to order you to kill every one of us, as they believe that we can then kill you. However, as it is ridiculous and impossible for you to kill three hundred trained strikers, we will each duel you in groups of five. End us without hesitation. We offer our lives willingly to you."

 **Okay, so this is the end of the chapter. I was really tempted to end with a cliffhanger at the "kill the strikers", but I'm not THAT mean. I'm just going to end it here, which almost just as bad. :)**

 **I'm kinda surprised that I finished this today, honestly. I expected it to take a while longer. Remember, no reviews means no new chapter, so please review. Also favorite. And maybe follow.**

' **Kay then, see you next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Hey guys, I'm back. I'll just tell you a system I came up with for updates:**

 **If you review, then I'll try my best to update around the weekend. I don't really have time for it on weekdays.**

 **I might take long breaks every once in a while, mostly due to writer's block and work.**

 **Right now, it's one review = one chapter, but eventually I'll raise it to 2 reviews = 1 chapter, or maybe just do the same rule as before and just give two chapters for two reviews, but nothing until then; i.e nothing for 1 review, but 2 chapters once I get 2.**

 **Maybe later I'll make it so that it has to be a review that I find constructive...**

 **I'm going to mostly leave out Kaito and Rin for the next few chapters. I want to focus on Miku and Len. They'll show up eventually though.**

 **Also, response to the last review:**

 **Lilac Gemini: Thanks for the review, and for the compliments, and for the luck :). I'm sorry I didn't put the review for update before. I was honestly thinking about writing another chapter when I read your review, but it was almost eleven and I had school the next day. Sorry. Anyways, I hope you like the chapter.**

 **Okay, so that's about all. I also need to change my profile...**

 _first fortress..._

The battle was brutal. The strikers were well trained in teamwork, and Len would have died if he had undertook the task a year ago. However, he had magic now, and his skills with the blade were honed razor sharp. Len was a whirlwind of death, jumping and spinning and slashing and stabbing, the image of what They had long referred to him as: The Reaper. His katana were extensions of his body, and he cut through the highly trained men so quickly that the blades had nary a drop of blood on them. The strikers employed tactics that would have been considered foolproof by anyone who saw the slaughter, but Len was never even slowed down, keeping up his pace, moving faster than the eye could follow.

Several seconds into the fight, if one could call it such, Len smashed through the tower shield of a mountain of a man who wielded a broadsword with one hand. However, both his katana broke in doing so, as, while well made, they were meant for training, and could not hold up under this sort of abuse. Len did not hesitate: he dropped the now useless peices of metal to the floor and drew his daggers from the sheaths at the small of his back. He then jumped up over the man, flipping as he did so, and straddled his neck. Len proceeded to slit his throat. As the man fell, Len spread his hands and unleashed an inferno from both palms, spinning and melting the very bones of his opponents. He then picked up his daggers and resumed the reaping.

Soon, the strikers realized that there was no way that they could prevail over this manifestation of the death god, and several fled. Len quickly completed his massacre of those who fought him and looked to the strikers who had run. Suddenly, he turned into a flash of lightning and reappeared before them. They knew enough about him to understand that begging for mercy would be pointless. So instead, they hopelessly prepared their weapons...

Len returned to the fortress courtyard within a minute of the beginning of his grisly task. There, he saw his two masters. It seemed that they were dueling. Len waited respectfully, as he had been told. Soon, Peircen thrust his blade into Jeibak's back, and with his last breath, Jeibak muttered "traitor," and stabbed Peircen's arm, slashing the he shuddered and died.

Peircen would not last a minute, and he knew it. He turned to Len to gave him the last two rules, and information about where to meet the other children. For they are children, thought Peircen, even if they are capable of these things. They know no better.

Len watched as Peircen turned to him in a rapidly spreading pool of the man's lifeblood. He knew that his master was beyond saving, and waited for the last two rules. Peircen said to him, "Before I tell you the last two rules, I have a new command. Meet the others like you at the Golden Apple inn. You will find it; there is only one of its name. And so," he paused, "Your last two principles shall be thus: Rule 1: Protect and honor your friends. Rule 2..." Peircen collapsed, no longer able to support his own weight. Len simply leaned in, to hear his last words. "Kill...with...conscience..." Peircen took one last deep, shuddering breath and died.

 _second fortress..._

Miku was crying over the corpses of those who had raised her. She had not known that entering the outside world would come at such a terrible price. The teal - haired girl was the most emotional of all the weapons, but was nowhere near as susceptible to her feelings as a normal person. However, she could not kill the people who had raised her without sadness. The killing itself was extremely difficult. The strikers had come at her in groups of one hundred, and, as they were strikers, that was the maximum amount she could take on at a time. Her teachers had told her before that the other children were the same; with the possible exception of Kagamine Len, The Reaper, who was best of them all, in every way except emotionally. Miku doubted that even he could have eliminated three hundred at once by himself; the feat was impossible.

(A/N ha, ha.)

Miku slowly recovered over time and did as her master and friend had told her: she recounted the last two rules she had been given (Rule 1: For the greater good. Rule 2: Care for those who need it.) and her task: eventually meet the other children at and inn called the Golden Apple, and somehow influence them to develop morals. She nodded to herself, and headed to the armory to prepare for her journey.

 **Alright, the chapter is done. Please (a) review, (b) follow, and (c) favorite, because otherwise I'll (a) not write another chapter and get lonely and (b) not know how many people are reading this and get lonely. lol. Going to Mammoth for a couple days, might actually be able to do more work from there than at home, so chance of early chapter. Hope you liked the story, and see you next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, I'm back. Wow, it's really been a while… I barely even get time to come to this website now… I expect this to take a bit before I can post this new chapter, so… Honestly as I said before my updates won't be very consistent from now, but I'll try to do one every, what, one month? I don't want to break any more promises so I'll do a lower estimate for my update rate… and avoid making promises… but if there are any large gaps don't worry, I'm like a cockroach. I'll come back eventually. Also, there is a chance of irregularities in the story, because I haven't really been able to look at it for a while… so if you notice any please bear with me. Alright, so responses to reviews (they'll contain some stuff about what I want to do with the story and such, so please read them if you're interested) and then the story:**

 **Lilac Gemini : I'm honestly not sure if you're still there, but if so, thanks for your continued support! I'm not sure how I'm going to handle them meeting up, but it'll probably be soon, as it would get really confusing to keep having four essentially separate stories going at once. I might just change it to only Len's pov when they're together…**

 **cinnawapan : Thanks, I appreciate your support! Honestly, I wasn't really sure if I wanted to continue with the story instead of just rewriting the whole thing with just Len, until I read the two comments by you and Lilac Gemini, so really, thanks. It'll be a bit harder to write new chapters, but I'll do my best!**

 **Another thing: I may end up changing my account name, I'll keep it the same for a bit but yeah, look out for that.**

 **OKAY! ENOUGH RAMBLING! TIME FOR THE STORY! (By the way it's kinda funny because irl I really am not this hyper… maybe it's easier to shout in writing?)**

The last rays of the dying sun spilled over the horizon, setting the clouds alight with crimson flames. Almost anyone would be stunned at this magnificent display, and would assume that the golden-haired boy was admiring the view… but he was not. In fact, Len's only thought towards the sunset was that it would highlight the profile of anyone tall attempting to sneak up on him from the west, but would impair his vision otherwise. Deciding that it was risky, though he was quite certain that he could accurately follow the movements of even the stealthiest person with his hearing alone, or smell, or even his sense of touch, using changes in the air currents against his skin to pinpoint a target, or, if necessary, targets. However, the Rules stated that one could never be too careful, and so he cautiously allowed a trickle of magic to reach his eyes. His power by itself could regenerate fast enough to destroy cities, one each second, for years on end, but his masters had taught him to use it only when necessary, instead storing up as much power as possible. At this point, while Len did not know, there was enough magic power in his pinky alone to turn the planet to dust. His masters had not been very surprised to learn that Len was the blood of the dragon, as that was a gift of his family. However, they had been ecstatic when they learned that his gift was Awake, as the gift had been latent for millenia, since the founder of the Empire himself. And so, Len was faster, stronger, and had more magic power than the people known to be greatest in the world in each subject, by at least one hundred times. He also had access to a dragon form, but, as it required extreme emotion, he would only be able to use it in a situation where a normal person would have gone stark raving mad ten times over.

For now, though, all that Len knew was that when he directed the power to his eyes the whites turned black and the irises gold. The pupils remained black. (well, they ARE technically holes in the iris, so…) He found this slightly irritating, as it would draw attention in public, but he had directed only enough magic to the eyes to see much farther and see more details than the average eagle, as well as having better night vision than the average owl. Len returned to his work: cleaning two blades that he had been left by his masters. The first he wore across his back diagonally, under his bladed cloak; it was a black crystal katana, looking almost like it was made of obsidian, with glowing golden runes inside the blade. This material would be scorned by most weapon masters, who would think that the stone would never hold up in battle, but in truth, the blade was forged out of metal from a fallen star, and quenched in Len's own blood, after which the runes appeared by themselves. This blade could shatter the best sword in the world several thousand times over without a scratch. Of course, it was conspicuous, and though Len preferred to use it in a fight, he would have to use others, which was not a problem because that while Len looked like he was only wearing his bladed cloak with the pitch black sword and its partner in front of him, he was actually hiding enough weapons to equip an army, some through magic and some on his person.

The second blade, however, was what he would probably use most often: a wakizashi, masterfully forged, with blue swirls running along the blade, almost like flames. This was a Sheyalin blade, forged by the blacksmith god himself, and coveted by nations as invaluable treasures. The best blade known to all other than Len and his now dead masters was a Sheyalin, but once again, it was inferior to Len's wakizashi (I literally just searched up what it's called…).

Honestly, if anyone knew how powerful Len was and what weapons he wielded, they would probably die from shock.

However, as previously mentioned, Len had no idea of how overpowered he was. And so he casually sheathed his wakizashi horizontally across the back of his waist, thinking back to his master's last words…

I wonder what conscience is, He thought.

This was not a new question. Len had been pondering this problem ever since he left the fortress one day ago, along with the enigma of what a friend could be. He knew from his master's lessons that only the stupid and the unreasonably optimistic would attempt the same thing many times and expect different results, but these questions still plagued his mind. He had been traveling at a good pace, by his standards, (running at sixty miles an hour from dawn to dusk.) for about ten hours. His destination was the village of Trindle, the closest settlement to the fortress. He had found his new blades, along with an army's worth of weapons, in the armory of the fortress. He could easily open a gate to any place he had been,

(a skill many would give their arms for) and so he might as well have been carrying the entire armory with him.

Len sighed, looking towards his destination. He would arrive in one more day.

 **Okay, sorry that there isn't very much actual story here, but I wanted to post it as soon as possible because you guys have been waiting long enough. Also, I want to try something new. I'm going to have you guys vote on whose POV I should do next chapter: continue as Len, or change to Miku, Kaito, or Rin? I'll probably start doing this every chapter, because I really am not decisive… Oh, and I copy pasted this from google docs to microsoft to the doc manager, so, ummm... IF THERE ARE ANY MISTAKES BLAME THE TRANSFERRING! IT'S CLEARLY NOT MY FAULT! (yeah, right)**

 **ANYWAYS, thank you for reading, and see you whenever I get another chapter in! (since this chapter doesn't have much substance, I'll likely post another one as soon as next week… no promises though.)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi, I'm back. I've been waiting for reviews for a while (Totally not procrastinating. Nope.) and since there's none it's kinda sad. But, It's pretty understandable since I've been gone for a long time and I don't think it would be reasonable to expect reviews to restart immediately, so... now I'm faced with the conundrum of where to go with this story from here. So i think I'll mostly just focus on Len, with him trying to meet up with the others (this might take a while) and probably some hints as to what the others are doing, just short sections focusing on the others. So yeah, please review, and here's the chapter...**

Len continued at a moderate pace towards the town (sprint for regular people, of course), making sure to dispel the magic from his eyes so as to avoid any trouble; wizards were a bit unusual, and among them those that could manipulate power within their body were rare. If it was widely known that he had such abilities, questions would be asked and trouble would surely arise. However, unbeknownst to him, acting without being notice would be harder than expected...

When the town was close enough for the guards at the gate to see him, Len slowed down. He noted that the line to enter was short, but was not at all surprised because he had not passed anyone on his way there. The golden-haired boy stopped behind a wagon holding a middle-aged man and a little girl, perhaps nine years old.

The man glanced behind him to see who had joined the queue, and paused, unsure whether to believe his eyes. There were several factors as to why he was so surprised: to begin with, the person who had lined up behind him appeared to be traveling alone at an age where he could barely be called a man; and he was heavily armed, as well. However, the majority of his astonishment came from the boy's face; there was an enchanting handsomeness to it... no, in this case, it could only be described as beauty on the level that anyone could stare at it for all of their life and die satisfied. He had deep cerulean eyes that one could drown in, fine, golden hair with the back pulled into a short ponytail, and beautifully smooth skin pulled over taut, defined muscles. (Sorry if this description made you barf, I know it's pretty bad, so I kept it brief.)

The child, meanwhile, had moved on; her mind was younger than her father's, and so she was more used to new things. Tactlessly, she said to her father, "Daddy! Look at his swords! He's just like a hero from the stories!"

His father whispered to her, "Shhh! He must be a noble, but remember, don't judge by his looks. Not all people who carry swords are heroes."

Of course, Len's ears, far more sensitive than those of a normal human, easily heard the man's secretive murmurs. He noticed the child looking at him fearfully now, and remembered one of his masters' lessons about social life outside: "If someone is uneasy about you, make sure to smile." By the way, immediately afterwards he had muttered "If it's you, they'll immediately forgive you for whatever it is... haaahh, I'm so jealous..." Len had judged from the volume that he was not meant to hear this comment, and, as per his training, had acted as if his senses were on the same level as that of a human. Incidentally, Len had the ability to read minds, but his masters had suggested to avoid using this gift outside of negotiations, because of something they called "morals", which Len interpreted as some sort of social law.

And so, Len looked at the father daughter duo and decided to test the tactic of, as his masters put it, "Ikemen smiling" (why do I even know this word... If you don't, congratulations, you have a life (unlike me), and search it up). He stretched his lips into an innocent smile, making that it reached his eyes. Apparently, the hardest part of faking a smile was getting it to reach your eyes, so his masters had had him practice the act at an early age.

His results, however, were not as he had expected; the man and his daughter simply gaped at him, captivated by the beauty of the expression on his face. He decided that it was necessary to check why his actions had resulted in such a failure, and checked their minds. The results, however, were strange; the man was strangely conflicted, thinking something along the lines of "How is this guy so perfect? I could stare at him forever... No, WAIT! I like girls! Not men! Hmmm... but is this actually a male? Nonononono, even if it was a girl, I'm married and (s?)he is so much younger than me..."

Meanwhile, his daughter was thinking "Wow! He's so cool! He's definitely a hero!" (What were you expecting... I'm not going to make a little girl develop a crush on the MC, get your minds out of the gutter.)

In the end, the Len, baffled by their thoughts, let his smile fade. The duo seemed to come out of a trance, realizing that they were being rude. The little girl beamed at him, while the man nodded gruffly, avoiding his eyes.

"Next!" called the guard.

 **Okay guys, I spent maybe an** **hour on this. I think I'll be going to sleep now, I would like to add to it tomorrow, but I think I should post a new chapter tonight... Oh yeah, please review, and tell me whether you would prefer shorter chapters more often or longer ones with larger gaps between posting. Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, I'm back. Still looking into changing my account name, and... OH WAIT, IS THAT A REVIEW?! YUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS(continues on for several thousand letters)**

 **Okay, time to reply to it now:**

 **Datgirl: Thank you for reviewing! Indeed, Len could be said to be a bishie (searched up the definition just now haha), BUT! Note that my intentions were that his appearance is so entrancing that people of any gender would feel enchanted by him! (Did you see what I did there? Gotta be politically correct! :P) Once again, Thank you for reviewing! :D**

 **Alright, I replied to the review first, because I was so happy about people finally resuming reviewing my story that I couldn't wait. Still, though, I need to know whether my readers (You) would prefer me to make shorter chapters more often, or longer chapters that take more time, so... Also I think I'll start to deviate from the plot of King's Dark Tidings from here on out...Yeah, that's pretty much all.**

 **On to the story:**

After the father daughter duo in front of him passed through the gate, Len walked up to the gate, stopping before the pair of guards. They looked him up and down, registering his weapons (he had concealed his face, as he had realized the reason for the, *ahem*, incident earlier), and one asked "Name?"

Len currently had no reason to conceal his first name, but he remembered that his masters had told him that revealing his full name would cause a commotion. So he simply said "My name is Len."

The guard grunted and made a note on a paper. It seemed that it was not unusual to have no family name. Then he asked the next question: "Occupation?"

Len was technically unemployed, but it would draw attention if such a well-dressed person turned out to have no job, so he went with "I'm on my way to register at a mercenary's guild."

The Mercenary's Guild, as it sounded, was an international guild that mediated between clients and those who would provide services; however, there was a system for which people got what jobs. People who were either lower than average in ability or new to the guild were given the F rank, and would run odd jobs like finding lost pets or searching for herbs. Above that was E rank, which consisted of people of average ability who had the option of completing jobs that involved a small amount of combat. This trend continues, and each rank higher is able to take on more difficult jobs, and would be paid more by the clients for each mission accomplished. The jobs, from low to high, went something like this: F, E, D, C, B, A, S, and SS. Of course, the guild took a percentage of the earnings from every job. Although it was officially titled the Mercenary's Guild and the people who were registered there were called mercenaries, but, since it was something like and "Adventurer's Guild" in the stories, people often referred to it as such and to its employees as Adventurers. (Yeah, sorry, I've gotten into reading some fantasy stories lately and I just had to include this aspect.)

The guard muttered "An adventurer, huh..." as he jotted down the information on the paper. "Okay, I'm going to have to see your face before I let you pass, that way if you cause any trouble I'll be able to tell who it was from any eyewitness reports..."

Len sighed, deciding that it was unavoidable. Casting a spell now to change his looks may cause trouble later, so he simply said "Understood." and lowered his hood.

Both of the guards froze, stunned by his appearance. After several seconds though, the guard with the paper said "Ah, I think that is enough. You may pass."

Len nodded, raised his hood, and walked briskly through the gate.

He hadn't thought about it much before, but he should register himself at the guild. After all, adventurers were often given access to information that wouldn't be granted to others, and he might learn about the location of the Golden Apple Inn. However, before he entered, he decided that it would probably be better to carry a weapon that he could put to normal use, as he still preferred to try and avoid attention. So, he switched his katana and wakizashi for ones of more common metal, although still finely forged, with runes engraved in them. These runes were not decorations; they were used to store magic in the sword, so that it would be stronger and sharper than another of the same material. The runes in his black katana seemed to work the same way, but his masters could not seem to interpret them; meanwhile, the runes in the sword were known, although anyone but a trained runemage would be unlikely to recognize them and think that they were on the blade for aesthetic purposes. As an afterthought, He also tied a cloth around the lower half of his face and put his hood up.

After conducting a search of the city through his magic, Len found the guild: a large building with a sword and staff sign in front of it. Before long, he was standing before it.

When Len pushed open the doors, he found a large main room with several doors to the right. These doors were presumably for meeting with clients. To his left was a board with jobs posted on it, as well as details such as payment and rank required for said jobs. Directly in front of him was a desk that was almost like a bar, with receptionists behind it for recording who was taking what jobs, as well as anyone who wished to post a job or register with the guild. Behind the desk was a door that presumably led to administration, and in front of it were several tables and seats for the convenience of adventurers; the guild provided cheap food and drink for anyone registered with it.

As Len entered the room, he took note of the inhabitants of the tables; near the entrance were several rough looking men, presumably adventurers, who immediately began watching him, though it appeared that they were attempting to hide the fact. Past them were several other groups of adventurers who glanced his way when he entered and immediately dismissed him.

Len walked up to the desk and said "I would like to register with the adventurers guild."

The receptionist smiled and nodded. "Sure," she said, "Would F rank be fine for now, or would you like to take the test for a higher rank?"

"F rank should be fine for now," Len replied. The mercenary's guild allowed all newcomers to begin a rank F, but they could take a test for a higher rank if they believed they were able. Otherwise, one would have to earn credits through completing requests to obtain the right to take the test. However, Len simply wanted to have an occupation at the moment, and could rank up later when he was certain that the information he needed could be obtained through the guild. After all, he didn't want to immediately get S rank and be acknowledged as the peak of humanity for no benefit. If he did so, he would be the center of attention wherever he went. Drawing a small amount of attention locally was fine, but if it reached the point that rumors spread to other towns, then it would be... inconvenient. Better to climb through the ranks, at least, than immediately starting at the top.

As he replied however, he noticed that behind his back the men near the door all smirked (super perception skills for the win). He decided that it would probably lead to trouble in the near future, and readied himself. After all, even if he fought them, the beating up a group of thugs would probably only be on the level of local gossip, and would not spread to other areas.

After giving the receptionist his name and refusing to tell her his class, letting her believe that he was not particularly accomplished in any area, Len was asked to remove the cloth around his face and lower his hood. He had noticed that her face was slightly flushed and, while filling out the form, she had been furtively glancing at the part of his face that was visible, and felt a sinking feeling when he revealed his face. As he expected, she immediately began blushing, and stuttered when she asked "A-and where would you like your guild stamp?"

Len simply indicated the back of his hand.

The embarrassed receptionist took a magic stamp out of a container and tentatively pressed it to the indicated area, and when she removed it there was a runic "Rank F" on the skin. "This will not fade or wash off. I-if you want it removed, you'll have to come to the guild. I know you can't read it, but a runemage made it and said that it will change according to what rank is assigned to you by the guild, so..." (Am I laying it on too thick here? Please tell me)

"Understood," Len replied.

After bidding her farewell, as his masters had told him was "only polite," Len turned and briskly began walking back through the room, towards the door. As he passed the table of thugs, a leg was thrust out into his path. He nimbly stepped over it and was reaching for the doorknob when he heard a rough voice say "Heh!? You're ignoring me, you little F rank bastard!?"

 **Sorry to leave it at a cliffhanger, but I've been typing for a while and I should probably get to bed now. Do you guys think that I should start referring to the mercenary's guild only as the adventurer's guild, or should I keep interchanging the names? Honestly, right now I'm thinking that it would only make sense for people like nobles and such to call it the mercenary's guild, so I feel like I should keep interchanging it so that no one's like "wait, what?" when nobles start to get involved, but if you don't like it, please tell me. Also, as mentioned before, am I laying it on a bit too thick with Len's perfect looks and stuff? Anyhow, thanks for reading and please leave a review :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi guys, I'm back with another chapter. I've been waiting for a review (this time actually, totally not procrastination), but I figure I should probably get a new chapter now. Honestly, tho, this time I won't be making a new one without reviews. Okay? Okay.**

 **Oh yeah, I have a severe case of writer's block, so if the chapter isn't up to par, sorry.**

 **So, now for the story:**

Len felt the air currents shift as the giant of a man's fist shot towards his back. He considered his next course of action; his objective was to display some ability without having his name spread too far. Therefore, simply taking the attack like it was nothing was not an option; it was too risky that the man would be someone high rank, and taking the attack would make too much trouble if he did. Dodging it was.

Len backflipped over the man's fist, tauntingly landing on it with one hand and bouncing off. After all, while it was purely theatrics, it was necessary to show that there was at least a significant gap in ability. However, this was not purely to demonstrate his skill; when he had touched the hand with his palm, he had been able to discern the minute roughness of magic pigment on the back of the fist. The man was rank D; slightly above average, likely due to his unusual size. After all, Len thought, it certainly wasn't due to skill or brains. In the split second that he was in the air, Len had already analyzed the man's punch; it was obvious, straightforward, and without skill. And the man's voice had denoted no deep thinking, simply an idiotic idea that as long as he was of a higher rank, the man was capable of beating Len. He seemed to be the kind of person who was barely able to get into rank D and was therefore abnormally proud of it. As his masters had said: _The difference between those who are capable of being truly skilled and those who are not lies in whether they know that there is always someone better._ This teaching had been included in his lessons to avoid arrogance, and was the reason that he even bothered to examine the large man's attack and speech. Incidentally, the receptionist's voice had contained embarrassment along with a hint of something different and yet similar at the same time. Len was completely unsure as to what the emotion was, and decided that he should study it. Then he landed on the ground (Yes, this thinking was all while he was in the air.).

Len turned to face the big man, crafting a taunting smirk on his face, saying "Is it a common occurrence for you to greet a person with an attempt to trip them and then shouting and getting violent when they avoid it? Or is it a special service for me?"

The man's face turned crimson and it looked almost like steam would come out of his ears. He yelled "Shut up! You're just an F rank newbie! As a G rank, I can easily pummel you!"

His friends were forming a ring around Len, and the other adventurers in the room looked like they were deciding whether to help the poor rookie. Len turned to them and gave a smirk and a wink, indicating that he was fine. They mostly relaxed, but it was not uncommon for a rookie to overestimate himself, and remained tense. Len turned to the man, the carefully crafted smirk still on his face. Grinning, he said "Come now, how slow are you? Attack already."

Enraged further, the man actually growled, charging at Len with a vein pulsing in his forehead. Len easily grabbed the fist that the idiot had sent his way and flipped the man over himself, expending barely any energy and slamming his opponent onto the floor. The man's friends all proceeded to try and attack him at once, but to Len they were clumsy and uncoordinated, and he casually dodged their blows, gracefully manipulating them so that they ended up hitting each other and exhausting themselves. Then he launched a flurry of fast, strong blows, felling the ones that remained standing. By the time that he stood in the center of a mass of upturned chairs, two flipped tables, and several very large men gasping on the ground (He had held back to avoid killing them, of course. Can't go punching heads off of their bodies and attracting unwanted attention, after all.), he wasn't even breathing heavily. And, of course, the other occupants of the room were staring at him and gaping. After all, an F rank adventurer shouldn't be able to easily defeat a single D rank, let alone a dozen at the same time with little to no effort.

As Len casually straightened the disturbed tables and chairs, the receptionist asked hesitantly "Uh...umm, are you sure you don't want to take the rank up test?"

Len grinned at her and said "No, as I said, F rank is fine for now."

She blushed, and Len cocked his head at her, confused. Why would her face get flushed like that? It had happened while he was registering, too. He had learned that a flushed face could be a sign of anger or embarrassment, but he had done nothing to cause either, other than perhaps disturbing the furniture. _Ah, she must be angry about the tables and chairs,_ Len thought. "Apologies for damaging the furniture, though," he said.

For some reason, this made her blush further. "No, it's fine." She replied, and once more Len detected that strange emotion within her voice. He was starting to seriously doubt his ability to read people. Oh, the men seemed fine and easy to read, but for some reason women talked to him while blushing with the weird intonation in their voices, even when he had simply asked for directions.

He had considered that it may be a sign of a fever, but it would be unlikely that a sickness outside of a plague would have infected all of the women he had met, and if there was a plague then the city would be sealed...

Len shrugged and returned to straightening the last chair. Then, from the pile made up of the people he had just defeated, he heard the first man say "This isn't over... We'll hunt down you and any friends you have..."

Len wouldn't mind much if they had simply threatened him, as he knew he was capable of caring for himself. However, this man's statement had indicated that friends were certain people, and he had threatened _Rule 1_ , which was Len's purpose in life.

The golden-haired boy's grin disappeared like a candle being snuffed out. His eyes flared gold and black, and a terrible bloodlust filled the room...

" _What did you just say?"_

 **Okay, there you go! Another cliffhanger, just so that you guys will review! I don't feel bad for it at all! NOT A BIT, YOU HEAR ME!? I DEFINITELY DON'T! SO REVIEW!**

 **P.S Just so you know, the Italics in the last quote actually weren't an accident, just to put emphasis on the sentence.**

 **Ugh... Seriously though... Review or I actually won't update... Although, I guess I'm kinda impatient? Hmmmm...Yeah, I'm pretty impatient... I wonder how many people actually read my story...**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello, I'm back, after like, a year (my excuse is that no one reviewed for a couple months and I gave up... and by the time I checked again (literally today) it was already this late, so...). Currently, I'm taking a five-hour pre calculus class every day (cuz asian XD) plus P.E online over the summer (because I don't want to waste next year on getting more credits for P.E), so yeah. I also actually passed out a couple weeks ago, but the hospital said I'm fine so I'm fine (I'm actually slightly worried still because nobody knows why I suddenly fainted...) I haven't written since I posted my last chapter, and I honestly don't remember what's going on in the story right now either. I'll reread it before I start the actual chapter, but if I make any mistakes, just point them out. I pretty much never proofread anyways, so it would be very helpful if my readers did it for me (you know, cuz I'm lazy (-_-)) Anyways, moving on :P**

 **Review(wish it were plural, but one's enough ;-;)**

 **Lilac Gemini: WELCOME BACK! No worries, technology can be pretty annoying... haha. Thanks for praising my story :D. I'll try to keep in mind to write longer chapters, but no promises (I always break those, so no point, right?). I was feeling pretty lonely without anyone commenting, and if I didn't notice your review I probably would've just given up on this story (my motivation withers really quickly). Thanks for your support!**

 **GUEST (ON CHAPTER 6): Sorry, I didn't notice your comment when I first posted this chapter. I guess I am laying it on a bit thick (I actually mentioned it in an earlier author's note, not sure if it was noticed), and I'll try to change it. But about his looks, I think that's an important source of laughs, so I'm a bit reluctant to change it... if two or more people, including you, tell me to stop, then I will, I guess... I think that the focus is going to mainly be on Len, and Rin, Kaito, and Miku will probably end up as sort of side main characters. And about the author's notes, since two people have told me to stop now, I guess I will (I might sometimes find it too tempting though. Sorry.) Glad you think my story has potential, but honestly it was inspired by another book (as mentioned in chapter 1), and the first 2 or 3 chapters are pretty much the same as that book. And now, two questions for you: Did you notice this reply? I wasn't sure if you already read this chapter, since I only notice your comment from before until just now. Also, who is Mary Sues? o.0 I'm too lazy to search it up (haha). Anyways, thanks for the advice :D.**

 **Just finished rereading, and noticed that stereotypical thug leader 1 was supposed to be D rank, but I accidentally typed G rank once during the last chapter. Oh well, he isn't important anyways...**

 **I also notice there are a ton of inconsistencies in my writing, I might go back and change it later. I haven't reread the story thoroughly, just skimmed it, so there might be some more this chapter...**

 **Onwards to the story:**

All activity in the room ceased. Originally, the occupants uninvolved with the fight had been talking excitedly among themselves as they watched the show, but now one could hear a pin drop. Everyone in the building felt as if the temperature was lowering, and some could swear that they saw frost forming in the corners of the room. The group of men who had provoked such bloodthirst felt as if they were being pierced repeatedly by needles whilst being entombed in ice. Once more, the no golden-eyed boy asked

 _"What did you say?"_

The group of thugs proceeded to whimper and pass out. Upon closer observation, they were now foaming at the mouth and each of them had a wet stain spreading from their groins. The stench of ammonia filled the air. The boy's eyes returned to their previous cerulean blue as he brought himself back under control. Now that they were unconscious, it would do nothing to remain in his previous state. (A/N: Triggered)

Len sighed and turned to the rest of the room. He then proceeded to bow apologetically and say

"Sorry for the disturbance. It seems I went a bit overboard."

At this point, he formed the 5th smile that he had been taught by his masters, the so-called "embarrassed smile". He immediately replaced it with a worried expression, however, when he observed that several of the mercenaries had developed bloody noses. Perhaps his bloodlust had been a bit too strong. (A/N: no, Len, I think it's probably more because that those people are, well, let's just say "dangerous, in various ways.")

"Ah, I can fix that."

Len said to the entranced crowd. He then proceeded to chant a spell, [Heal]. The bleeding immediately stopped, and he went on to chant [Cleanse] Of course, the chanting was not needed, but it would attract attention if he did not. Chantless magic could only be used when someone had extreme familiarity with a spell, after all. And since the majority of mages devoted their entire lives to the study of magic and still could only achieve the shortening of a verse-long chant to one word, it would be more than a little abnormal for someone who had clearly demonstrated martial skills and who carried two blades to cast chantlessly. In fact, it was already considered a bit unusual that he could use magic at all, but approximately one in ten swordsmen make use of a couple of lower tiered spells. Len ignored the mutters of "Angel, he's an angel" and looked at the unconscious bodies of the thugs who had tried to attack him. While the onlookers felt a bit strange about the freezing chill they had felt earlier, most of them dismissed it as a mass hallucination, as even some of the strongest warriors in the world would be unable to unleash tangible bloodlust, so the none present knew what bloodthirst would actually feel like.

 _What a mess,_ he thought, turning to the receptionist after a few seconds.

"They'll be paying for the damaged furniture," he told her, and proceeded to leave. One must never show weakness or ignorance to enemies, and as these were enemies, he would not risk endangering his "friends" by revealing his ignorance to the thugs. After all, if they learned that he did not know who his friends were, then they might take the opportunity to harm these friends while he was unaware.

After replacing his mask and hood, and exiting the guild, He walked along the street, searching for an inn.

Soon, he stopped at an inn called the "Prancing Stag". It met most of his criteria: it looked like the textbook definition of an average establishment, every room had windows (for discreet entry and exit; if anyone but him tried to enter or exit his room, of course, he would notice, and even if they tried while he was gone, he would be able to detect their scent. When he had first caught one of the masters tasked with training him to be alert at all times with this method, the surprised man had exclaimed "What are you, a bloodhound?!") The common room of the inn was full of people, while not quite crowded. A crackling fire in a stone fireplace gave a warm and bright mood to the place, and the hum of conversation was prevalent throughout as people talked over their dinners. Len walked to a middle aged man with a bald head and warm brown eyes to discuss renting a room. While most would find a cloaked and hooded person to be suspicious, especially with so many weapons, the innkeeper was used to strange people, as his establishment was quite close to the mercenary's guild. After a friendly greeting and some haggling, Len agreed to rent a room for an iron coin a day. The denominations for currency were, from low to high, copper, iron, silver, gold, platinum, black gold, red gold, mithril, and adamantium. Each coin was worth a a hundred of the coins one rank below, and except for those beyond gold, which increased in worth one thousand times for each rank. A copper coin was the worth of a cheap meal, while a gold coin was enough for a family of three to live for a year, if used frugally. Anything above silver was rarely seen in the everyday life of a commoner, while mithril and above were only used in negotiations between countries. By the way, Len currently had around one hundred million adamantium coins, one billion mithril coins, fifty million red gold, seventy five million black gold, forty million platinum, thirty million gold, sixty million silver, and twenty two million iron coins. He had no copper. The inn's price was quite decent, as it included three meals every day along with a slightly larger than normal room. Len payed for one night, telling the innkeeper that he was not sure how long he would be staying, so he would pay for the room each day. Just because he was richer than all of the major kingdoms put together did not mean that he should be wasteful. He also exchanged several iron coins for copper, as he did not have any loose change.

After dinner, during which he kept his hood pulled over his eyes and stayed hunched over, so as to keep his face hidden, he walked up to his room, politely waving to the beautiful waitress as he passed by (she was the main reason why the inn had become so popular in the recent months). He set alarms and traps around his room, both physical and magical, before maintaining his weapons and casting [Cleanse] on himself before going to sleep. He refrained from making any fatal traps, as he would prefer to get some information from any enemies before their elimination.

 **Okay, so there's the chappie. I hope u liked it :D. I would say that for now, any inconsistencies with the chapters before now should be considered "non-canon", as far as this story is concerned. I'll be checking the reviews relatively frequently, so please tell me your thoughts. Remember, one review is required for me to start writing another chapter! Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**AAAAAAAGH, I was in China for the last week... I forgot about that trip... and now I'm really sick... legit coughing like crazy while I'm typing this... T^T**

 **Sorry.**

 **ANYWHO, time for reviews, I guess...**

 **Guest (In case you didn't read the one in the last chapter) : Basically, thanks for the praise, and I'll try... basically**

 **Anonymous:** **Thanks for complimenting, and reviewing, and yeah, I think I'll work on the OP thing... just going to say though, the other three will only come into contact with him a while later, though I'm not sure when specifically yet. After all, I don't really have a plan for the plot (yet, I might make one later) so we'll see.**

 **In case anyone noticed the shorter-than-usual author comment, it's because, as previously mentioned, I'm sick right now, and don't really feel up to just rambling on as always. Chapter might be shorter than usual as well, but still more than 500 words.**

 **Story:**

Len awoke far before the sun had risen. Making certain that none of them had been triggered, Len disarmed the traps and alarms he had set around his room. He then proceeded to head out to the yard, passing through the locked door with a simple thought. He brought his bladed cloak with him.(Not sure if I mentioned this, but if you search "Talon" and go to images, it should be there.)

Then, he began to train.

There was a reason that Len had gotten up so early. He only needed about an hour of sleep a night, for one. The main reason, however, was that he would need all the extra time he gained to train with half of the fighting styles that he had mastered, bare-handed or armed. The other half would be done the next day; it would take up too much time to use complete the full set every day, though he did mix them up a bit; it could lead to weakness in use if he got used to a routine in training.

After finishing the makeshift weapons exercise (he used a bucket), Len moved on to the last technique: the use of the su'carai.

Reaching into empty space, Len withdrew a pair of strange weapons from his armory. They were made of adamantium, and had blades on both sides of the handle. The blades were curved so much that they were almost like scythes, with the top bending one way and the bottom the other. Overall, the blades seemed like the halves of the yin and yang sign pulled apart, connected only by the handle. Removed his cloak, Len began to spin them, accelerating until a whirring sound permeated the air. Swinging the blades, he moved gracefully through a series of forms as if engaged in a deadly dance.

After replacing his cloak and eating breakfast, Len headed back to the Guild building. He had decided to make some connections in order to find the Golden Apple Inn, so he should start with accepting some quests.

 **So, yeah, sorry for the super short chapter, but it's midnight and I'm sick, and I feel like ****, so I'll just be going to sleep now... I might post another tomorrow, we'll see.**


	10. Chapter 10

**So, I didn't end up doing another chapter right after the other one, mostly because I was sick and needed rest, but also because that I was suffering from a severe case of writer's block. Still am, but I'm going to see if I can squeeze out a chapter. I honestly have essentially no plan for the plot of this story, I just make it up as I go, so we'll see how it ends up. Anyways, reviews:**

 **Lilac Gemini:** **I'm glad you like it! (^-^) Thanks for the compliments, too. Also, I'm just going to say, Len being emotionally inept is probably going to end up as an integral part of the story, mostly because it's funny, he's OP and this story needs a plot, and because it's funny. It might also be a bit because it's funny. Did I mention that it's funny?**

 **Messenger777:** **Ummmmm... wut.**

 **Anyhow, time for the story, I guess... I still can't think of anything to write... anyone want to start giving suggestions in the reviews? lol.**

 **Watched these vids for inspiration:**

 **watch?v=K2fopLlxg6k,**

 **watch?v=ezRrrdboWLc &t=25s**

 **Watch them both. The second one is made better by the first one.**

 **Oooookay... time to actually start... GAAAAAAAH *bleep* YOU, WRITER'S BLOCK! I'll come back to this tab in a bit. Give me time to brainstorm... aaaaaaaaaah... T^T**

 **I'm back (after like 30 minutes of pacing). Let's (try to) do this!(Sorry if this chapter is bad, I blame writer's block.)**

 **WARNING: POV CHANGE INCOMING**

Entering the guild, Len noticed that it was a lot more crowded than yesterday. At the time he had come here before, most adventurers were already out on quests; only a few were still in the guild. The general schedule was to enter the guild and choose a quest in the morning, and then turn in the quest in the afternoon. Looking at the board, Len noticed that the only quests for F-ranks were gathering quests, or finding lost items.

Still wearing his mask and cloak, he walked up to the receptionist. This was a different girl than last time, which he found slightly surprising. This was due to his inexperience with society; his masters had often complained that anyone with a job was worked to exhaustion. For The average human could stay awake for around one week, so it was quite a coincidence that he had come near the end of the last receptionist's shift.(1)

Feeling a tightening in his chest, Len frowned. This had happened several times already, and he had noticed that it had only occurred when he thought of his masters, but even though he kept that in mind, he assumed that it was a simple coincidence. He had checked for a wound, but there was no damage on the surface and he did not feel the familiar sensation of internal damage. It was not a curse or a spell, either. He had checked for that with mana. As of now there was nothing he could do, but Len felt that eventually he should go to a professional healer, just in case he had missed something.(2)

Len had taken a D rank orc extermination quest; adventurers below C rank were allowed to take quests up to 2 ranks above themselves if they judged themselves capable, but those at D rank rarely ever took a B rank quest, as the gaps between ranks rose with said ranks.

"Eh? Are you sure you want to take this quest? You know, this quest is for D ranked parties, not for F ranks... It'll probably be too hard for you, even if the rules allow you to take it," said the receptionist, sounding concerned.

Len simply nodded, the part of his face uncovered by his mask concealed deep in shadow. The receptionist and adventurers from last time would not have been worried, but word had not been spread about the incident yesterday afternoon, so no one here knew that he was actually quite capable.

"I will see if I can gather a party," Len said curtly. For some reason, the receptionist blushed when she heard his voice. Len had heard that people blush when they are angry or embarrassed, so he was beginning to think that his face and voice were either unfit for public display or angered people for some reason.(3)

"Ah, o-okay...", stuttered the receptionist(4), upon hearing the most entrancing voice that had graced her ears in her life(5). At this, Len headed off to the tables to socialize, ignoring the flushed woman staring at his back...(6)

 _Gilles POV:_

My name is Gilles. I'm the leader of the D rank adventuring party, the Iron Hands(7). Today the four of us were discussing what type of quest to take, or, well, more like I was trying to decide while I watched the other three argue

"Isn't it obvious to go on an orc extermination quest? They have higher rewards, and we should be able to easily deal with a couple of wolves or orcs!" argued Kaiser, our only heavy front liner, or "tank",

"Are you crazy, you battle maniac? Zane is sick, and you can't keep any more than two orcs at once busy by yourself! And those pig-headed bastards mostly show up in groups of four! Clearly we should go on an escort mission," retorted Jay, our mage.

"I still think we should go and gather herbs. After all, with only one tank, Kaiser wouldn't be able to deal with more than 4 bandits, either..." reasoned Forc, our healer(8).

Sighing, I pondered our dilemma. After all, because that all of them had different ideas, I would have to decide. Kaiser's argument was hot-blooded, but I agreed that the extermination request had the highest rewards. Jay's proposal was reasonable as well, despite his angry speech. If we chose an escort mission, we would not have to eliminate the enemies, just protect the subject and escape. The pay, however, was lower; there was a chance there would be no enemies at all. And while Forc's idea had the lowest reward as well as being, quite frankly, boring, it was safest, and the party was lucky to get an actual healer instead of a medic, as healers were rare, so I was inclined favor him...

"Apologies for interrupting, but I couldn't help but overhear that you were considering the orc extermination mission, and were short on numbers..."(9)

 **(1) That's not how it works, Len. Your masters expected you to be less naive...Don't take their words at face value...** **Dangit. The fourth wall is soundproof, huh.**

 **(2) BANG! BANG! BANG! This fourth wall is tough! I can't break it, even though I used the hammer of the creator!(The hammer of the creator: a sledgehammer found in the author's house) LEN! YOU FOOL! YOU POOR, SOCIALLY INEPT FOOL! THAT ISN'T A WOUND! Oh wait... maybe it is, I guess... you could metaphorically call it a wound on the soul*mumble,mumble* BUT THAT ISN'T THE TYPE OF WOUND YOU'RE THINKING OF, ANYWAYS! Wait, why am I yelling. I wrote this.**

 **(3) Why did I even do this? Why?**

 **(4) It's summer. I'm forgetting comma rules, send** **help.**

 **(5) Again, WHY DO I DO THIS?**

 **(6) She's older than him by like at least 6 years, so no, there will be no ship. What were you thinking?**

 **(7) It's so hard to think of good names... I was thinking crimson blades or crystal swords or crystal shards, but I thought that was a bit too extravagant for a D rank party... but you know... this story makes no sense anyways, so I'm just being a hypocrite.**

 **(8) Yes, I am aware what his name sounds like. I literally named him this after I picked up a fork... Names are hard. Also, remember that D rank is above average, and since they have a healer it would be possible, though not easy, to defend against four weaker bandits at once with a shield and a sword and wearing banded leather armor. (remember, armor is expensive.) I'm trying to** **introduce some common sense, though it will be hard...**

 **(9) Yeah, with your ears, it really would be "couldn't help but overhear".**


	11. Chapter 11

**So, I actually noticed the review a while ago... like yesterday... or the day before... or, well, I honestly don't remember. It's summer, so I don't really have a good concept of time...**

 **Anyways, since I was (and still am) suffering from writer's block, I decided to wait, but today I decided it was dumb since nothing is changing, so I'll try and force out a chapter.**

 **Review:**

 **Lilac Gemini : Wow. I really want to do that now... We need triplets: Spune, Forc, and Niv. Hey, I might end up actually doing it... we'll see. Thanks for the review! :D**

 **I guess it's straight to the story now, even though I still have no idea what to write:**

 **AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING!**

 **Gahhhh... I hate writer's block... T^T**

 **Alright, time to actually do this:**

 **WARNING: UNANOUNCED POV CHANGES INCOMING**

"Apologies for the interruption, but I couldn't help but overhear that you were considering the orc extermination mission, and were short on numbers...?" inquired Len, surprised at his luck. Just as he had been looking to create a temporary party, he had overheard these people talking.

"And who are you?" asked the mage, suspicious. After all, Len was wearing a hood and a mask, so his face was pretty much completely concealed. It couldn't be helped that he wasn't judged as trustworthy.

"Ah, I am sorry for my rudeness. My name is Len, and I had been looking for a party for the orc extermination quest when I happened to hear your discussion, so I thought that I might try to join your party..."[Len]

"Indeed, we do need another member, but we would need someone to fulfill a tank role, not another attacker. So I have to apologize, but you wouldn't be of much help,"(1) the warrior, who seemed to be the leader, cut in.

"I should be able to fulfill your needs," replied Len. "Though I am F rank, it is because I decided it would be a bother to take the advancement test, and I am quite confident in my ability to at least hold back a couple orcs."

While Len did not wish to lie, as he had been taught that dishonesty was inconvenient in more permanent relationships, and he was uncertain if this would end up as one. However, he could not tell them that he was probably able to eliminate the entire orc race with ease, let alone keep a few busy, as he had also been taught that humans tended to fear those stronger than them. So he intentionally misled them to underestimate his strength.

"Sorry," returned the leader, upon hearing Len's rank. "While I would love to believe you, we're risking our lives here... If you could permit us to test you, then..."

"Of course," replied Len. "Rather, I would be doubtful of your leadership ability if you blindly trusted me."

And so, introducing themselves, the group headed out to a courtyard behind the guild, put there solely for advancement tests and parties testing new, or temporary, members. Using the provided training equipment, the warrior and the tank got into position to begin to test Len's abilities. Of course, Len did not draw any of his weapons, as he deemed none of them necessary or efficient for his situation.

"Where is your equipment?" asked the warrior, Gilles, thinking _Surely he doesn't intend to do this bare-handed!?_

To this Len replied: "As you can tell, those my body size and build are not generally suited for using heavy weapons. For this role, I would say that simply drawing the orcs to attack me, and then using speed to avoid their attacks, is enough to keep them busy. In an actual fight, though, I would use daggers, but we are testing my ability to avoid, no?" His words, however, were misleading once again. While it was true that "generally," people with his build did not use heavy equipment, Len could easily do so. He simply didn't want to pull a large pieces of equipment out of thin air, as he had not had the opportunity to do it discreetly. After all, the guild, wanting to cut back on costs, only provided training _weapons_ , while shields and armor were not supplied. Of course, Len would argue that _he_ was the weapon, or that shields could be used as weapons, but he had been taught to accept that "outworlders are weird." Thus, he faced them bare-handed.

Gilles frowned, uncertain. This style of "tanking" was possible, but no one actually used it, as evading without getting hit was very difficult, especially with multiple enemies. And this boy (for he was sure now that it was a boy: at first, he had not been sure, due to the divine voice, but when introducing themselves Kaiser had brazenly asked; the rest of the party had been mortified, but the boy had calmly answered) was claiming to be able to use it... Gilles, as a D ranked warrior, refused to underestimate his opponent(2), and simply resolved himself to go easy on Len at first, and if the boy was incompetent, then he would refuse to let him join the party.

Forc, who was acting as a referee, loudly declared "Start!", and so the two rushed at Len, who simply stood still.

As the two front-liners, using their full strength, would be equal to a couple of orcs, they were surprised as their blows hit only air. Len moved as if he was dancing; he didn't evade the attacks with pure speed, though he moved so quickly that the naked eye had trouble following him when he had to. He dodged completely with technique; he flowed around their movements. The D-rank party was struck with awe: these movements were on the level of and S ranked mercenary they had seen at the King's Tourney, and that person had been going all out, collapsing after she won the match. Len, meanwhile, was not even slightly out of breath; and despite it's impracticality for this situation, the tails of his bladed cloak were not touched by the swinging weapons, either. This, they knew, was an unforeseen prodigy.(3)

 **(1) lol**

 **(2) You are, though**

 **(3) If only that was all he was...**

 **Sorry, readers, I know this is a pretty low quality chapter. Bear with me, though, maybe I'll be rid of this writer's block by next time.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Alright, I'm back for another chapter... I feel kinda dumb, honestly, because I could be doing my summer homework right now... Oh well. Procrastination, right?**

 **Anyhow, I guess it's time for the review...Geh, my motivation is dropping right now. I don't want to do any form of work ever again... T^T**

 **Review:**

 **Lilac Gemini** **: Yeah, I'll try to push through, thanks for the advice(^-^). Honestly though, my main problem with the writer's block is that I have no idea where the story's going, and I just kind of make stuff up as I go, so there's a higher chance of plot holes and the like to show up. I've felt like the chapters are kind of awkward because of this, but since you say it's fine, I guess it's fine, right? Thanks for the praise, and for always commenting! :D**

 **Alright, ON TO THE STORY!... I guess... why is writer's block still here? YOU'RE NOT WELCOME! GO AWAY! T^T**

 **Okay, I'll actually start this time...**

After leaving through the gate, the party of five (one temporary) headed to the forest where the orcs lived. At the speed that they were going, it would take a couple of hours to arrive. At the beginning of the trip, Gilles, Kaiser, Jay, and Forc kept up a steady flow of conversation. However, as the heat became oppressive, the four experienced adventurers quieted down, opting to save their energy for walking. Forc and Jay had removed their cloaks and Kaiser had removed half of his armor; while the magic users were at their full strength even without their stuffy clothing, (enchanted robes were only for those at the peak of D class and above; for others, they were far too expensive) Kaiser needed at least some of his armor, so he only removed his helmet, greaves, and bracers, keeping his banded leather chest piece and pauldrons (Shoulder armor; since they were D rank, they could afford plate armor for Kaiser, though only for the helmet, shoulders, and legs, as they assumed that the shield would protect one arm and his chest well enough). As experienced mercenaries, the group knew that it was best to be prepared for anything, as it was very possible to be assaulted on the road. After all, while they were not very close to the forest yet, the tall grass was quite capable of hiding a goblin or a crouching bandit, along with other threats.

Meanwhile, Len's part of the conversation was completely reactive; he was not a sociable person(1), though his elegant, fluid answers(2) seemed to make the men feel that they had formed some sort of bond, and they treated him as a part of the group. Upon being asked "Don't you feel hot in that?" by a certain concerned healer as the temperature rose, Len had replied with a simple "I'm fine," as he felt that a long answer would be inconvenient for his purposes, and the heat could be used as an explanation for his curt answer. In fact, Len would be fine even if he were in a pit of boiling lava, or taking a bath in liquid nitrogen. He was immune the any effects of temperature, after all.

Upon arrival at the forest, Kaiser donned his armor, as well as preparing his shield, and the mages readied their staffs. (the majority of the expenses for a mage is the staff; it must be enchanted, and so is as expensive as the robe, but the staff is far more essential to their craft, so, as the majority of people can only afford one of the two, staffs are normal while robes are a luxury) Gilles, with his hand on his sheathed blade, called the group into formation with Kaiser at the front and Len at the back, while the mages were in the center with Gilles. This was a standard arrangement when in a place with limited vision; it assumed that attacks could come from any point, and spaced front-liners throughout the group. After all, even though he was not a tank, Gilles would be able to hold off attackers at least until Len and Kaiser showed up to help. If the mages were attacked, then there would be two melee classes(one in front, one behind) to protect them.

With this, they entered the forest, ready to hunt.

 **(1) Understatement**

 **(2) fluid here is intended to mean it can be interpreted in different ways**

 **Sorry it's short, I blame writer's block. REVIEW FOR MORE! I WANT TWO THIS TIME! (even though I'll probably write another chapter with just one, I feel kind of like only Lilac Gemini is actually reading this... and as a greedy person I want more opinions and plot ideas and stuff... no offense to Lilac Gemini, of course!)**


	13. IMPORTANT UPDATE

**Aaaaaand, I'm back. This isn't going to be a chapter, by the way, but just going to say I am NOT DROPPING THE STORY (just changing it).**

 **Lately, my inspiration has been running low (in other words, writer's block) and I decided that I'll probably just go for a rewrite, fix some problems and change the plot somewhat. However these changes won't be on the fan fiction website. I'll be MOVING this to and probably change some names and such (don't worry, Forc is still Forc).**

 **TL:DR**

 **I AM MOVING TO ROYALROADL. WHEN YOU GO THERE, MY AUTHOR NAME SHOULD BE Lkjfdsay1. I AM NOT SURE IF I WILL CHANGE THE TITLE OF THE STORY, AND I AM NOT SURE WHEN I WILL START THE REWRITE. BUT IT'LL HAPPEN.**

 **Review:**

 **Yes, I noticed your review, guest. I have made several of the changes later on in the story, and I'll apply them to the new version when I rewrite it as well.**

 **THANKS to Lilac Gemini, who commented on pretty much all my chapters so far, and stayed through my long hiatus. I hope you follow me to the new website (please do) and if you do, let me know through either your username or comments... or the reviews for this story, but I'll probably only check them every once in a while.**

 **See you at royal road! (well, not really see, but, you know what I mean.)**


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